[Pale Rider]

One of the things I enjoyed most about the meet was the variety of music that I got to listen to. There is so much music in the world, that trying anything new becomes a complicated process. The meet makes that easy, and in the bargain, you tend to get music that the presenter thinks will sound good. I ordered several CDs over the weekend as a result of the meet. Thanks!

 

[ironbut]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pale Rider /img/forum/go_quote.gif One of the things I enjoyed most about the meet was the variety of music that I got to listen to. There is so much music in the world, that trying anything new becomes a complicated process. The meet makes that easy, and in the bargain, you tend to get music that the presenter thinks will sound good. I ordered several CDs over the weekend as a result of the meet. Thanks!

Great point PR. I've even had times when I listened to stuff at meets and thought "I've gotta get this!" and asked the owner what it was. A couple of times it's been something that I had but just never really listened to that cut!

 

[The Monkey]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pale Rider /img/forum/go_quote.gif One of the things I enjoyed most about the meet was the variety of music that I got to listen to. There is so much music in the world, that trying anything new becomes a complicated process. The meet makes that easy, and in the bargain, you tend to get music that the presenter thinks will sound good. I ordered several CDs over the weekend as a result of the meet. Thanks!

QFT, next to seeing friends, this has been the best part of the last few meets for me.

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

Alright folks, I spent a little bit of time with some of the pics I took during the meet, for the first batch, here are some headphones. I'll upload a few more tomorrow. Cheers!

 

[robm321]

^ That's some serious eye candy

 

[Grahame]

First off, mad props to meet meister jp11801 for making this happen, and going the extra mile to ensure that there was enough room for everyone.

Several bags of kudos to the vendors for bringing some impressive products, and supporting the community.

This felt like a mini can jam, with another chance to experience some of the best our hobby has to offer, both in equipment, and the people that make it so rewarding. It also felt like can jam in that there was an embarrassment of riches, and still not enough time to sample all the gear, or spend time with everyone you wanted to.

The photo's give you an idea of just how much high end kit was around, and yet it was just as much fun to catch up with people, put faces to names, and help the meet first timers.

On the transducer side, the two highlights were the same as at Can Jam. The JH-13's and the HD-800's

Iron Dreamer was doing an excellent job making sure that people experienced the JH-13's to their full potential. I was impressed with them at Can Jam, and I was not disappointed here. I described them as "Stupid Good" as it is just ridiculous how good they sound. They are impressive from a Sansa Clip playing flacs, as a minimalist rig, and were more impressive yet from the usb pico dac/amp from a laptop. Not only on the usual audiophile suspect tracks, but also on a wide variety of music, which I think is telling. They shine in meet conditions due to the isolation, which lead to the surreal experience of being a few feet away from JP involved in a spirited conversation, seeing his lips move, but hearing nothing. Life imitating the art of his "Problem Solved" T-shirt.

I wonder how long it will be before someone comes up with a balanced system that pairs with the JH-13 ...

Thanks to Voltron, for allowing his HD-800's to be tried out the systems at the meet. I managed to spend some quality time with Fallen Angel's β22 allowing me a chance to enjoy this quality paring.

At a recent BBQ, a non head-fi'er on being informed of the HD-800's existence and their cost responded "$1400 headphones? How is that even possible

". It is possible, and we should rejoice in that possibility. I did

Al is also to be commended for the mini Van Jam recreation as we headed out for the near obligatory In-N-Out run. No smoke or fire this time, but there was a curiously large amount of liquid for no discernible reason. I dread to think what Chicago holds for us.

Other highlights from the blur that was the rest of the meet included (but were not limited to) :-

1. Frank Cooters gorgeous tube based works of art
2. AMB, the man, the designs, the builds, and the cryptic comment to "watch this space"
   
3. Fallen Angel's impressive collection of Amp's and Headphones, glad we managed to find sources for them all
4. Linux Works DIY control systems
5. Seeing double with two Reel to Reels in the same room
6. Engaging people who recognize a broken protocol when they see one, in conversation
   
7. Blessingx's attempt to corner the market in out of production Parasound DAC's
8. Matt Fury - for making it in from Vegas, Baby!
9. Seeing all the new faces - which bodes well for the future
10. bigguy''s wife Becky's tasty treats - always good to end a meet on a sugar high!

Here's to the next Bay Area Meet!

 

[pcf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grahame /img/forum/go_quote.gif Al is also to be commended for the mini Van Jam recreation as we headed out for the near obligatory In-N-Out run. No smoke or fire this time, but there was a curiously large amount of liquid for no discernible reason. I dread to think what Chicago holds for us.

Gallons of God knows what liquid poured out from the van as soon as the back door was opened. The whole row of back seats were soaked and had to be dried off, covered with some old rug before anyone could sit down. I had the privilege to be one of the three people who were seated at the back(FallenAngel was one of the another). All made my first headfi meet more memorable.

Also thanks to Pavel for showing me the inside of his Melos and all the great work he did on the amp.

-Paul

 

[pcf]

Alright folks, I spent a little bit of time with some of the pics I took during the meet, for the first batch, here are some headphones. I'll upload a few more tomorrow. Cheers!

Thanks for the great pics!

My Grados never look this good even when I put my reading glasses on.

Cheers!

-Paul

 

[krmathis]

Oh my, oh my! Sure looks like a really nice meeting..

 

[vcoheda]

greaT pics. love the PS1.

 

[FrankCooter]

First, a big thanks to J.P. It’s really a testament to his enthusiasm and dedication to this community that he took on another meet so soon after CanJam. I had a great time. The best part, as always, was the shared interests and camaraderie of fellow enthusiasts and the exchange of information and ideas. Once again, I was inspired to go home and attempt a better rig.

I can’t add much to the equipment reviews given here, except for a few stand out moments. The first, once again, was Ironbut’s R to R tape system. It simply is qualitatively better than anything else. This is the reference standard at all of these meets. Anyone with audiophile interests needs to hear this system just so they know what is possible with reproduced sound. My second favorite sound was Voltron’s Woo/Alpha/Amara/Omega 1 system. The Woo amp is vastly improved over the version exhibited at CanJam. The Alpha DAC is state-of-the-art digital. But what really set this system apart was the Omega 1s. I’ll never own a pair, but of all the headphones I’ve ever heard, it’s my favorite. It’s got a bigger, deeper sound stage than any of the other Stax. It also seems to have more warmth and impact than other electrostatics.

“Mikeymad’s” 300B Woo amp driving his Omega IIs through a Stax matching transformer was another surprise. There was the air and detail normally associated with Stax, but added was a previously missing level of warmth, depth, and emotion. I’ve started down the road of a dht/Stax combination and his 300B Stax combination has further pumped up my enthusiasm.

After Voltron generously loaned me his pair of HD-800s, I’ve become a reluctant convert. I still don’t like the price, the “space cadet” aesthetics, or the excessive hype, but they probably are the best dynamic headphones currently available.

Unfortunately, I neglected to label my DIY equipment this time but will do better in the future. I brought two DIY tube amps (in J.P.’s words, “the small one” and “the big one”.) The big one is one of my over-the-top indulgences. It is a directly-coupled, two-stage design with a transformer output. The signal path is all dht. The separate power supply uses mercury vapor rectifiers, LCLC filtering and automated start/warm-up sequencing. It should sound better than the small one!

The small amp is my version of a “spud” amp. It is intended to be the simplest possible, least expensive high performance tube amp I can create. I designed this specifically to be a practical first-time tube DIY project. I’ll be posting the schematic and construction details in the DIY forum.

I’m honored that Jacqui Naylor was photographed listening to my system. She was totally gracious and unpretentious.

Again, thanks to J.P. for making this meet happen.

 

[teNtiOn]

Anyone can post up some impression on the γ2 dac?

 

[linuxworks]

my 2 cents on the y2 dac:

- I love the thing, I think it sounds quite good

- but another listener came by, gave my setup a try and had not so nice things to say about 'the violins' as he heard it from the dac. my signal chain was computer/usb - y1/spdif - y2/dac - b22/amp.

win some and lose some. but overall, I think it was well received. no, it didn't have AES input (that guy dissed the dac (lol) because of THAT, as well) but its a damn fine sounding dac. I really don't have a desire to overspend on dac technology when affordable (and physically small sized) solutions now exist.

but to some, if there isn't a ton of zeroes in the price-tag, they won't even give it a serious consideration.

 

[mikeymad]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FrankCooter /img/forum/go_quote.gif I’m honored that Jacqui Naylor was photographed listening to my system. She was totally gracious and unpretentious.

I thought that I recognized her... but couldn't place the name.... very cool.

I was honored to be setup next to you, so I could listen to your gear all the time...

Cheers,

 

[blessingx]

Did anyone test the JH13 universals or their customs with the TTVJ portable DAC/amp, by chance? I was pretty impressed with the device, but only tried full-sized.